Saying Goodbye to Empress Josephine

My Josephine passed away Saturday morning. I came out of my room to find her in her usual spot, but she had already gone.

Josephine was my first cat. I never had pets growing up, and when Jen and I got married I became a “cat daddy” to Jen’s cat, Madison, who lived for 19 years.

About a year after we got married, I started wanting a cat of my own. That cat was Josephine. She was my Valentine’s Day present from Jen in 1997. I named her Josephine because in my mind, she was an empress. We got her through the Grateful Paws Rescue in Kent Island, MD.

We found out later that Josephine was born a Scorpio cat; she came into the world on November 2, 1996. She became my familiar.

Through all of the changes—Jen and I have made 10 moves in our 17 years of marriage—Josephine was a constant, faithful companion. She adjusted well and change never bothered her.

She was never mean to people or other cats, and as time went on she became more and more calm and outgoing. She also had a great singing voice…at night she would play with her toys and just sing her little heart out.

She also enjoyed magickal work. Josephine enjoyed “helping” me do tarot readings and was constantly watching what was going on in the house. 

We called her “The Cat Who Watches”, and we realized eventually that the laser pointer was no fun for her because she was always looking right at the person holding it, as if to say, “I’m not stupid…I know where that light is coming from, and I won’t be able to catch it, either!” She was way too smart for us to pull anything over on her more than once.

I’m totally still in shock. Josephine was getting older and had some kidney and thyroid problems, but they were treatable and we gave her the best care we could. I wasn’t ready for her to leave—I thought we still had a few months left, or maybe a year—but it was time for Jojo.

Josephine helped me become more compassionate. I never had much to do with animals before I married Jen, but I learned so much from her. She enjoyed the simple things in life, and she tried so hard just to be sweet and nice, even with twice daily medication and subcutaneous fluids 3-4 times a week. I wish more people were placid like her.

I’m still not ready for this…I’m going to miss her so much.

I love you, Josephine, my little empress. I will never forget your amazing voice and your pretty, hypnotic eyes.  I hope you enjoy the Summerland, and I hope you’ll come back and visit me someday.